How Many Insiders Bought BAE Systems plc (LON:BA.) Shares?
We often see insiders buying up shares in companies that perform well over the long term. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of examples of share prices declining precipitously after insiders have sold shares. So shareholders might well want to know whether insiders have been buying or selling shares in BAE Systems plc (LON:BA.).
What Is Insider Selling?
It is perfectly legal for company insiders, including board members, to buy and sell stock in a company. However, most countries require that the company discloses such transactions to the market.
We would never suggest that investors should base their decisions solely on what the directors of a company have been doing. But logic dictates you should pay some attention to whether insiders are buying or selling shares. As Peter Lynch said, ‘insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.’
Check out our latest analysis for BAE Systems
BAE Systems Insider Transactions Over The Last Year
Elizabeth P. Corley made the biggest insider purchase in the last 12 months. That single transaction was for UK£57k worth of shares at a price of UK£6.34 each. So it’s clear an insider wanted to buy, even at a higher price. It’s very possible they regret the purchase, but it’s more likely they are bullish about the company. We generally consider it a positive if insiders have been buying on market, even above the current price. Elizabeth P. Corley was the only individual insider to buy shares in the last twelve months.
You can see the insider transactions over the last year depicted in the chart below. By clicking on the graph below, you can see the precise details of each insider transaction!
If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.
Does BAE Systems Boast High Insider Ownership?
I like to look at how many shares insiders own in a company, to help inform my view of how aligned they are with insiders. I reckon it’s a good sign if insiders own a significant number of shares in the company. BAE Systems insiders own 0.03% of the company, currently worth about UK£4.8m based on the recent share price. Most shareholders would be happy to see this sort of insider ownership, since it suggests that management incentives are well aligned with other shareholders.
So What Do The BAE Systems Insider Transactions Indicate?
There haven’t been any insider transactions in the last three months — that doesn’t mean much. On a brighter note, the transactions over the last year are encouraging. While we have no worries about the insider transactions, we’d be more comfortable if they owned more BAE Systems stock. Therefore, you should should definitely take a look at this FREE report showing analyst forecasts for BAE Systems.
If you would prefer to check out another company — one with potentially superior financials — then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, that have HIGH return on equity and low debt.
To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.
The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.
